Trio of Movies

I watched three mainstream movies this weekend. I have found that with any movie you can find something substantial and poignant in them (even when you have to really look or it may be the absense of or lack of something which is most remarkable). What you may most notice in any given film is often dependent on where you are at as a person when you watch them.

I finally watched "The Bourne Ultimatum" Saturday night. I have thoroughly enjoyed each movie in the trilogy for their kinetic pace which seems to mimic what must be going on in mind of the protagonist who has lost his memory, but none of his killing instinct and skill. What I took out of the last film is that no matter what you have chosen in the past or even done in the past, at every moment you can choose another path. One of the greatest tragedies is to believe you are without choice and must remain on a fixed course counter to your integrity and ethics.

I watched "A River Runs Through It" again in its entirety Sunday night on TCM. This is Oscar month on TCM where they air Oscar winning and nominated films. I have always enjoyed "A River Runs Through It" for its slower pace and sense of place and the connection with nature. Two things struck me this time watching it: first, Paul, the younger brother who lives life fiercely and wildly appreciates people trying to help him even when he can't accept the help and second, the words the father says in the end which I am probably misquoting: "you can love completely without complete understanding". I think that is something I have noted without properly comprehending. A lot of love is about trust and faith concerning the unknown aspects of others.

Also Sunday night I watched "The Jane Austen Book Club". It is based upon a book of the same name I have been meaning to read since I first heard the author on The Diane Rehm Show when it was first published. Other than being a fairly decent chick flick, there was one scene in which the only guy in the book club is remarking upon Marianne from Sense and Sensibility: "I understand why Colonel Brandon goes for Marianne. It's because she's generous with herself. She's willing to risk her heart. No rules. No fear." For your information, I watched this scene again last night with subtitles to make sure I got it right just for you, dear reader. This bit particularly struck me because I realized that it is perhaps one of the things I most admire in others and yet I am not very generous with myself nor am I much of a risktaker.